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Friday, March 16, 2012

No-Knead Yeasted Banana Rolls

Whenever I read posts on bread baking or baking with yeast,I've always thought-how can bread baking be therapeutic?I mean,you are dealing with yeast and if not dealt with correctly,everything falls flat on you,literally.The very rare times I've tried yeast baking,I've crossed my fingers(toes too!)hoping the yeast rises to the occasion and blooms into a soft,spongy bread.

Yes,it has failed me at times but when it rose,it gave me delicious bread and oodles of confidence.I've also read that continuous baking with yeast spreads wild yeast in the environment you bake in which in turns paves the way for many more successful yeast bakes-voila!

Over ripe bananas always find their way into Buns or Muffins,but since the recipe for the yeasted banana rolls was very similar to the way I make Buns,I thought of giving it a try.It was a no knead bread too,which was a plus point.With the right hint of sweetness and banana flavor,I am sure this bread will be baked many a times in my kitchen:)

Mix together warm water,butter,salt,sugar and yeast in a mixing bowl and keep aside for 5-7 minutes or till the mixture becomes frothy.

In a large bowl(enough to hold 2 1/2 ltr of water)mix together the pureed/mashed banana,butter milk,crushed cardamom and one cup of flour.

Mix in the frothy yeast mix and the rest of the flour in without kneading-use a strong handled spoon to make the job easier.

Add a few spoons of warm water of the mixture looks dry.The dough should look shaggy and be a bit wet and sticky.

Cover the bowl (not airtight), and allow the dough to rise and collapse (or flatten on top). This should take about 2 hours.You may use the dough at this point, but it is easier to handle when cold so refrigerate the dough for about half an hour.

Grease a round 9” cake tin with oil or butter.Take the dough out of the fridge and lightly dust with flour. Divide the dough into eight equal portions. Dust each piece with more flour, if needed but resist temptation to use too much flour or the rolls will turn out tough.

Shape into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides while rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go. Similarly shape all the other pieces into balls.You can bake this bread as a loaf if you prefer.

Arrange the balls of dough in the greased cake tin and lightly cover the tin with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rise, for about 45 minutes to an hour.

Bake the rolls at 180C (350F) for about 35 to 40 minutes till done and golden brown. If you want the crust of the rolls to be soft, brush them on top with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven.

Cool the rolls in the pan for about 5 minutes and then cool completely on a rack. Serve warm as you desire.This recipe makes 8 medium sized banana rolls.